Interesting Article About Scott Boras and Orioles

[Aristotelian]

10 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

Are there agents out there whose clients sign extensions a high % of the time?

And if any of us had Boras's job, what would we advise them to do?

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Aristotelian said:

And if any of us had Boras's job, what would we advise them to do?

What I thought was best for my client.

Which would depend on what my client has told me he wants.

If he wants to maximize earnings I tell him to test free agency.

[Sports Guy]

5 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

And if any of us had Boras's job, what would we advise them to do?

If I sell someone a house, I don’t advise them to buy the most expensive house because that means more money for me.

I get to know the client, understand what’s important for them and advise them based off of that.

That’s how you should always handle a job like that imo. Your wallet should not be part of the equation.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Sports Guy said:

If I sell someone a house, I don’t advise them to buy the most expensive house because that means more money for me.

I get to know the client, understand what’s important for them and advise them based off of that.

That’s how you should always handle a job like that imo. Your wallet should not be part of the equation.

You would theoretically make more money over time by best serving your employers.

[Nite]

The player at the end of the day signs the contract. So that means it's the players decision the entire time. He can advise his clients to do whatever and if it serves him or his clients more doesn't matter. The player still makes the final decision. If they tell him that they want the most money no matter what team, that's what Boras will go do. If they want an extension then Boras will work that out or if he's not be at risk of being fired by the player. 

Players have all of the control and any player that allows their agent free reign deserves whatever that agent does to their career path. 

[jabba72]

During the MLB winter meetings in December, mega-agent Scott Boras, who represents Henderson and top prospect Jackson Holliday, quipped that the Orioles reach out about signing Henderson and Holliday to contract extensions “only once or twice a day.”Mar 13, 2024

Orioles renew contracts of Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman (baltimoresun.com)

Sounds like Boras is almost taunting the O's going by that quote. I dont think he's changed.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, jabba72 said:

During the MLB winter meetings in December, mega-agent Scott Boras, who represents Henderson and top prospect Jackson Holliday, quipped that the Orioles reach out about signing Henderson and Holliday to contract extensions “only once or twice a day.”Mar 13, 2024

Orioles renew contracts of Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman (baltimoresun.com)

Sounds like Boras is almost taunting the O's going by that quote. I dont think he's changed.

He's making a show for the media.

Why would he "taunt" the O's?  Who does that help?

He's not a 12 year old playing fortnite. 

[thegardner]

12 hours ago, casadeozo said:

I had no idea he represented Westburg and Cole Irvin as well!

Yeah, bad news, especially about Westburg.

[Frobby]

My takeaway from that article is, “maintaining a winning team is different from building a winning team.  It requires spending a lot of money.”  Well, it probably does, but you can’t throw money at every problem, either.  You have to decide when to spend on expensive, established guys and when to count on younger, cheaper, less estsblished players.  It will be interesting to see what choices the Orioles make over the next 3-5 years.  

[Sports Guy]

32 minutes ago, Frobby said:

My takeaway from that article is, “maintaining a winning team is different from building a winning team.  It requires spending a lot of money.”  Well, it probably does, but you can’t throw money at every problem, either.  You have to decide when to spend on expensive, established guys and when to count on younger, cheaper, less estsblished players.  It will be interesting to see what choices the Orioles make over the next 3-5 years.  

“it requires spending money intelligently”

That it is how the quote should read.

[Bemorewins]

45 minutes ago, Frobby said:

My takeaway from that article is, “maintaining a winning team is different from building a winning team.  It requires spending a lot of money.”  Well, it probably does, but you can’t throw money at every problem, either.  You have to decide when to spend on expensive, established guys and when to count on younger, cheaper, less established players.  It will be interesting to see what choices the Orioles make over the next 3-5 years.  

IMO because all big contracts come with various degrees of risk. The wisest course is to spend on the best/most talented player. They are the ones who most likely have the longest run of great to good in them, even if they cost the most.

What you don't want to do is spend money on guys who fall off of cliffs early or are injury prone or who do not have the mentality to handle success or who do not have very strong work habits and will likely become comfortable after getting paid.

That is why I think (like many others) that Gunnar is the guy you want to extend even if you have to move heaven and earth to do so. I just don't see anything in his profile/short history that are any kind of "red flags". It is likely to be worth it (at least for a long time - at least next decade).

Also taking into account the momentum that the O's are riding with winning, so many young homegrown stars, and new ownership. IF they were to extend a Henderson and/or Rustchman IMO it will take the org to a new level and provide even greater momentum and fan interest/marketplace growth. That is how you become the next "big player/franchise" that can sustain winning beyond a short/6 yr team control window.

I've stated before that I worry that a Rays model of ongoing rebuilding, never spending meaningfully, and never being invested enough as an org to be fully committed to winning sends the wrong message to your customer/fanbase and will never really engage a community/marketplace fully. 

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Bemorewins said:

I've stated before that I worry that a Rays model of ongoing rebuilding, never spending meaningfully, and never being invested enough as an org to be fully committed to winning sends the wrong message to your customer/fanbase and will never really engage a community/marketplace fully. 

I don't think most of the issues with Rays attendance and engagement is because of the roster churn.

It's because of the stadium, the competition from the Lightning and Bucs for entertainment dollars and the transient fanbase mostly having allegiances to other teams. 

[interloper]

2 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

What I thought was best for my client.

Which would depend on what my client has told me he wants.

If he wants to maximize earnings I tell him to test free agency.

I mean, yeah, in theory. But if you don't think he's subtly or not-so-subtly steering his clients towards free agency with years of material/arguments that make it seem like the smartest idea (and he would know, look at his track record, etc), then that's pretty naive. 

Like, yeah, if his client is adamant about something, sure. But if they're on the fence, he's a master manipulator. 

[Bemorewins]

11 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I don't think most of the issues with Rays attendance and engagement is because of the roster churn.

It's because of the stadium, the competition from the Lightning and Bucs for entertainment dollars and the transient fanbase mostly having allegiances to other teams. 

You bring up a great observation about the Lightning. They are in the same city and are not a small market. I would argue that the reason why is because they have managed to capture the hearts/attention of the marketplace. IMO you don't do that by allowing your fans to carry constant anxiety about who's going to be here this year and who will be gone. Of course there is roster turnover in all pro and college sports. But there also has to be some stability and confidence amongst your fans/customers that the org is as invested as me (Joe Blow the fan) and not indifferent (won't do what it takes for us/team to win it all).

 

[Just Regular]

A big picture thing I wonder about is is Elias such a data gatherer and decision deferrer that he places any value on a view of the next CBA before making any of the biggest decisions.

Is there expansion?     Does the MLBPA fight for service time revisions?     Does the league fight for a cap?

I have very very low expectations, but for Orioles fans enjoying this roster it would be nice if the parties could not encumber the 2026-2027 winter with the dreadful stuff.    

That possible timeline would put Adley 1 year away from free agency circa 3.15.2027 when the MLB and MLBPA announce agreement barely in time for an abbreviated spring training and without loss of any of the 162.

What if you have two top-tier contracts for 2030 but aren't sure if Mayo or Basallo will leapfrog Holliday the same as Gunnar has perhaps leapfrogged Adley?

A club can still win their franchise player on the open market as NYY did with Judge.